Texas horned lizard

Phrynosoma cornutum · The Texas horned lizard is a spiky-bodied reptile native to south-central regions of the US and northeastern Mexico.

Texas horned lizard
Photo: Rstanton13, CC BY-SA 4.0
Texas horned lizard
Photo: Brandon Bourassa, CC BY 4.0
Texas horned lizard
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyPhrynosomatidae
GenusPhrynosoma
SpeciesPhrynosoma cornutum

Where it lives

Arid open plains from Kansas and Colorado south into northeastern Mexico.

Fun facts

  • When threatened, it can squirt an aimed stream of blood from the corners of its eyes up to 5 feet away.
  • This dramatic blood-squirting defense can cost the lizard up to 6 percent of its total body weight.
  • About 70% of its diet is harvester ants, though it also eats termites, beetles, and grasshoppers.
  • Females grow noticeably larger than males, reaching about 5 inches long compared to a male's 3.7 inches.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).